Sleeping in

Yay for sleeping in! It was SO nice to be able to sleep in this morning!!! I am so happy to have this weekend free. Yesterday was a lot of fun going out to Oxford and just being able to wander at my own pace and not have to be on some rigid schedule. This morning I slept in and then got up to go to Camden market. There was a lot of really cool stuff there but I just don't have the money to spend. There were also a million people there since it was a saturday morning so it was a bit overwhelming and I had to leave. I met up with my roomie and her friend Emily and we all grabbed lunch together. I've bascially been trying to take it easy today. I think I'm starting to get sick. I've had really bad allergies, mainly to something in the building I think. My eyes have been super itchy and I have the sniffles. The past few days have been particularly bad. I'm super stuffed up, my ears feel are all muffled and feel like they need to pop, and my chest is tight and I have a cough. We did a lot last week and it is half way through the trip so I think I'm just a bit run down. I mean, we're always on the go here. It's nice to have this weekend to just relax, sleep, and hopefully get better.

So I thought I'd make a list of all my favourite places here so far. Or at least the places we tend to frequent.

Night and Day- A pub just off Russell Square. They have delicious chicken pesto baguettes for 4.50.

Wagamama- SO good. It's a Japanese chain restaurant that's all over the place and they have the most amazing food. My personal favourite is the Yaki Soba, which is fried noodles with veggies and chicken. It is AMAZINg. Other people like the chicekn soup, which comes in a HUGE bowl that you could feed a small family with. You can usually get out of there for around 6.45 or 7.50.

Kensington Creperie- Another one of our favourites. We try to go here every week. It is a creperie just around the corner from the South Kensington tube station and the crepes are AWESOME. My personal favourite is the Italian crepe...it is a crepe with mozzerella cheese, fresh basil, and cherry tomatos. YUM! Again you can get out of there for around 7.50.

Yo! Sushi- Is in Brunswick Square which is just off Russell Square. There are lot of them throughout London. Basically you go in, sit down, and there is a conveyer belt that has sushi on it and you pick up what you want. The dishes are each a different colour that corresponds to a price. Mondays & Tuesdays you get a 50% discount on an already cheap meal. They're chicken rice is really good (2.70), edemame (1.70), cucumber sushi rolls (1.70), and they also have unlimited miso soup.

The Rocket- A pub near Euston station, a short walk from Byng. We like going here. It's a fun pub usually open until midnight. A lot of young people, good music, decent priced food. Student discounts. Always a great time.

Cafe in the Park- There is a cafe in Russell Square park that we like to go to for breakfast before class or to grab a coffee before class. It's right across from the school and the prices are reasonable. For breakfast we usually get eggs on toast or a cappaccino. They're cappaccino is great...has tons of cafeine that makes class much more tolerable. Breakfast is about 4.50 and cappaccino is about 1.80.

Ben's Cookies- Only the most AMAZING cookies EVERR! They are sooo moist and delicious, I cannot even begin to describe them. Let's just say if you find a Ben's Cookies DO NOT PASS IT UP. Go for the triple chocolate or the milk chocolate chip. The triple chocolate is, by far, my favourite.

Tesco- The grocery store we usually go to is Tesco. There is a 24 hour express one just across from Russell Square station. They seem to have reasonable prices. I can usually get out of there for around 6.65 which will buy me... a loaf of bread, peanut butter, jelly, milk, cereal, and some chocolate or cookies. There is also a Waitrose in Brunskwick Square (near the Yo! Sushi). It's really nice but a little further of a walk and little more expensive.

Goodge- is our favourite tube stop, or at least we think it's the closest. It's on the northern line. It is really easy to walk up there and there are a lot of cafes and such nearby. Russell Square is also close as is Euston and Holbourn.

We can walk pretty much anywhere from Byng. We're very centrally located. We usually walk to covent garden, leceister square, even trafulgar sqaure is a do-able walk. I really wish I would have brought my pedometer. I can't even begin to guess how many miles I walk each day.

Well, I think it's time to go work on my paper. Roman London circa 200 AD...what a thrilling topic. haha.

I'm still alive

YAY for the internet!!! This is the first time my internet has worked in the past week. It is such a mess, and it really messes things up for me since all my homework has to be submitted online. Anyways, I don't even remember where I left off last. Scotland was a lot of fun. I really liked the highlands. They were so beautiful. We also went on a ghost tour which was pretty cool. York was alright. I think people built it up too much for me so I was rather disappointed when we got there. The ride home was rediculous! It took soo long to get home. We had to take a series of buses and trains that seemed never ending...kind of like our ride home tonight, I'll get to that later. So let's see, after our weekend in Scotland and York we had a regular week of classes. Monday night we went to see Chicago. It was great. Tuesday night we all hung out around the dorm and then went to this place called the Ice Bar. It was really cool. The whole thing is made of ice and you have to wear a blue parka. The glasses were cool because they were made out of ice. I don't know, it was fun. Wednesday we went to see Into the Hoods, which was AMAZING. I absolutley LOVED it. It was a hip-hop show that was simply A-M-A-ZING. Last night a bunch of us just hung out and went to a pub near us called the Rocket. It is such a small world. So get this, we met these guys at the hostel we were staying at in Scotland, they were both from Australia and one is now living in south london. Anyways, we get to the Rocket and these other guys come over to play cards with us and it turns out they live like 10 minutes away from my friend Krysta. This other guy with them is from Buffalo and their other friend is from Australia and who else do we see at the Rocket but the two australians from scotland who, turns out, live 2 minutes away from the other australian. I'm not sure any of that made sense, but it all comes down to EVERYONE was at the Rocket last night. haha. This morning we slept in until about 9:00 and then we headed to Paddington station to catch a train to Oxford. Four of us went so we got a 'group' rate of 9.50 for a return ticket. The ride out was nice and only about an hour and a half. We spent the afternoon wandering around Oxford, taking pictures, and shopping. It was nice to not be on a strict schedule for a change and to be able to just wander around on our own pace. We were all a bit tired and the weather was deteriorating so we got on the train to come home. The ride back was not so short. We left at 5:20 and we got into the station at 7:00. We stopped at pretty much EVERY station between Oxford and London. Then there were problems on the underground so we had to wait another 45 minutes before the tube even came. Then we got on only to have it break down so we needed to change to another train and then walk back to the dorm. It wasn't that bad, it just took forever. Tonight we're just taking it easy. Some people are out of town for the weekend. I'm working on putting more picutres online. Definitely check them out. I think I'm going to head down to the common room to watch Across the Universe with some people. Hopefully this week I'll have the internet again so I can keep this thing updated.

Scotland and York

The past few days have been very busy but a lot of fun. Our first night in Scotland a small group of us got together and went on a ghost tour of a large cemetary in Edinburgh. It was actually a lot cooler than we had anticipated and was well worth the money. We went on the last tour of the day which left at 10 so it was starting to get dark. Our guide was awesome. The next day we got up early in the morning to get on a bus and drive to the highlands. We spent the day riding the bus and stopping off in different places. We stoped to see the William Wallace staue, which was quite a hike. We literlly had to climb a small mountain to get to the top. It was cool though, and there was a great view. Then we got back on the bus and drove through some of the most beautiful countryside I've ever seen. I loved the highlands. They were SO undescribably beautiful. I tried taking pictures, but they're just not the same and don't do them justice. We took a short potty break and visited Hamish, a large hairy highland cow that is probably one of the most photographed scotts. We got back on the bus and stopped in a small town for lunch and a group picture. Next we headed to The Famous Grouse distillery. We went on a tour of the facility and they taught us about malt whiskey and how it's made and what makes a good whiskey. At the end we had a smell test of the different whiskies and then they gave out free shots. After the distillery we headed back to Edinburgh where we walked around and had a cheap dinner and dessert. We met up with a bunch of people in the lobby of our hostel from Autralia, Wales, and Ireland. They were rather amusing, so we hung out with them for awhile before going to bed.

The next morning we were up early to catch a train to York. We spent about 6 hours in York. We took a bus tour around the city and then we spent the rest of the afternoon walking the wall, eating lunch, and poking around the little side streets and shops. It was nice, but I honestly was expecting something a lot more spectacular since everyone talks about it so much. It was pretty, but after the scottish highlands nothing really compares. Then we got back on the train for about 2 hours, then we had to switch to a bus for about an hour and a half, then we got back on a train to King's Cross, and then we walked back to Byng. It was a long day of crazy transportation. I think I may have liked York better if the transportation would have been easier. The trains were nice though, and when I had one of the table seats it was nice and comfortable. Everyone was really tired last night so we all went to bed early and a lot of people skipped class this morning. I went, and we walked all over London for 4 hours. Then I stopped at the grocery store on my way back from class and now I'm just taking it easy before we go see Chicago tonight. We also just bought tickets to go see Into the Hoods this Wednesday. I'm really exicted for that. It should be a really good hip hop show. We're also thinking about going back to Oxford this Friday. Krysta's sister gets in on Wednesday so we're trying to take her around, plus we didn't have nearly enough time in Oxford on our day trip. Well, I think I'm going to take a power nap to recharge a bit before this evening. I'm so happy to have the internet again, even if the connection is spotty.

Stupid slow internet

Sorry about the lack of posts the past few days. Our internet has been really messed up. Basically I've just had class as usual during the day and then we've been going out at night. We took the train from King's Cross to Edinburgh today. It was a beautiful 4 hours ride. The weather is rather nice. It rains lightly on and off and it's a bit chilly but nothing to complain about. The other day, on the other hand, it POURED all day long in London. We had to go out to visit the Oxo Tower and we were soaked through by the end of the evening. An umbrella was of no use since the wind was so strong and blowing rain in every direction. Oh! That's what I forgot to mention Krysta and I went to the National Youth Dance Festival on the southbank and it was great! It only cost about £10 and then the next day we got to see short highlights from all the west end shows for free. We are going to go see Chicago Monday night and Wednesday night we are going to hopefully go see Into the Hoods, a really cool looking hip-hop show. Um... what else...I think that's really it. Just classes, museums, and dance shows. Well, I'm in an internet cafe and my time is almost up. I need to get going. So far I love Scotland. It is so beautiful. I can't wait for our trip to the highlands tomorrow.

Just an ordinary day

Today was just another day. I got up, put my sheets out to be washed, walked to school, went to the British Museum, came back, took a nap, went to the Soane Museum, grabbed a coffee, did some homework, went to South Kensington for a crep dinner, went to a sports cafe, found it boring, came back, watched blood diamond with a bunch of people in the common room, and now I am getting ready to go to sleep in a bed with no linens (for some reason they were unable to give me new sheets today, but they were also not able to give me my old sheets back. the cleaner had a very thick accent and I couldn't really tell what he was saying, plus I had just woken up from a nap. The important thing is I should have clean sheets some time tomorrow. I had a fun night in last night. A bunch of us ended up hanging out in the common rooms of Byng and we had a great time playing cards and stuff. I got to bed really late though, so I'm trying to get to sleep at a semi-decent time this evening. Well, that's all. Nothing really to report home about. I'm still having a great time and I think we're going to try to see a dance performance or two this week. I'll keep you posted. Nighty night.

Week two of classes

It's already the start of our second week here. I got up this morning and went to my history of london class. We sat and listened to my professor lecture for about an hour and a half and then we headed over to the Museum of London. Once we were there, we were paired up with another student and we had to write a small paper about a certain section of London under Roman influence in the first, second and third centuries. My partner and I had to write about daily working life. It was interesting. The museum had a lot to offer, but I didn't particularly care for it. It was very dark, confusing, and I just had a very weird feeling in it. And there were tons of little kids there this morning.

I was supposed to go check out the Soane Museum for class tomorrow, but it is closed on Mondays and we were gone all weekend so none of us got that section of the homework done. Tomorrow we will be going to the British Museum for my Musuems and Galleries class. I do like that museum, and it is so close to the school I hope to spend some more time there.

It was really rainy all day today. We even had a bit of thunder in the afternoon. For the most part we all just laid low today. Krysta has been having trouble with her cell phone and oyster card so I walked over to Huron with her to try and get things sorted out. Then we got stuck there for awhile, due to the rain, and then we chatted with Prof. Hertz and Prof. Harf. Once it cleared up a bit we walked back to Byng. We sat and talked with some of our other friends and then we all went out to dinner. I've been really tired all day, even though I went to bed early last night. Maybe I'll go to bed really early tonight. Well, that's pretty much it. It's been a rather uneventful day. I think we might try to go to the Soane tomorrow after class or sometime in the afternoon. Time to socialize with other people from Byng before bed.

Bath, Stonehenge, Windsor Castle, and Hampton Court

Sorry for the minor delay in posts and pictures. We have the internet here at Byng but it can be quite spotty. We've also been really busy travelling the past few days so I haven't had much free time. Our bus has been leaving at 8:30 the past 3 mornings and then we spend a good chunk of the day on the bus travelling from place to place.

BATH

Yesterday we spent the majority of the day in Bath. It was beautiful. For some reason I thought there would be more Roman baths, but the one that we saw was very beautiful. The town around the bath was beatiful as well. I really wish I could back when there are fewer people. There were so many tourists since it was a saturday and there were a lot of locals because there was a small dance showcase and to top off all the chaos there was a wedding taking place as well. As I said, the baths and town were absolutly beatuiful. I really liked the architecture of the area. It has a very quaint feel, minus all the zillions of crazed tourists.

STONEHENGE

After Bath, we road about an hour and a half to Stonehenge. It was pretty much exactly what I was epxecting, a bunch of rocks in the middle of a very random field. For some reason I was under the impression it would be closer to a river, but I wasn't able to see one from the site, but I couldn't see one at Newgrange either. It was very cold and windy, similar to my experience at Newgrange, and the rocks were shorter than I anticipated. In all the professional photographs the monument seems to tall, but in actuality it is quite short. The drive between Bath and Stonehenge was beautiful, but not quite as nice as the drive between Oxford and Stratford. That truly was a BEAUTIFUL drive.

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Today we visited Windsor Castle and Hampton Court. I went to both of these places on a previous trip with Dr. Piper. I am glad I'd already been since our day tours on this trip are rather short and it seems just as we're getting settled on location it is time to get back on the bus. Really, all the places we've visited deserve no less than a FULL day each. I don't know how some tour groups get three to four in in one day.


WINDSOR

We got to Windsor just as it was opening this morning. We went in and a small group of us attended the church service in St. George's Cathedral. It was a very beautiful and moving expereince. Here we are, sitting in the church, in these really old seats (I quite literally had the best seat in the church. I don't know how I managed that) an amazing chorale, candels, beautiful prayers about peace and a sermon about the current struggles of the church, it was very small and peaceful. The church felt nice and warm despite the cold wind and rain outside. After the service we didn't have much time to wander around the rest of the castle, so we waited in line, for about 30 minutes, to see the doll house and walk through the state apartments. We gobbeled down lunch and it was on to the bus and out of the rain we go.


HAMPTON COURT

I really enjoyed our trip to Hampton Court. It was nice to see different parts of it that I had not seen last time. Our guide took us through, what she felt were, the most important parts and gave a us a brief history. Then we had time to wander around. Last time I came I spent a lot of time inside the palace and the kitchen. This time I chose to spend more time outside, despite the cold wind and rain. The gardens were lovely. There were so many beautiful flowers and I am in love the clouds and the sky here. Everything is just so breath-takingly beautiful. I can't imagine what it must have been like to live in such a grand palace. I only have a few photo links in this blog, but I would really encourage you to look through all the Hampton Court pictures on the online photo album. I haven't got time to put captions on each since the internet is so slow here, but they are all pretty obvious, and most are just of the garden. They are just so beautiful.

Well, it's about quarter to eight here. I haven't done my homework yet so I should probably get a move on that. I am enjoying my classes, but I am really really busy. The workload is really heavy, although the content is quite easy. A lot of people complained about it, so hopefully it will lighten a bit. If this were a full semester-long course the work they are asking us to do would be reasonable. Since it is only 6 weeks and we travel on the weekends, however, it is quite hard to find time to get everything done and still go out and explore England. Well, I'm just waiting for my pictures to finish uploading online so I can post the links into this blog then I'll get to the homework.

I'm really having a great time here. I absolutly love England. It's just so me.

PS: When I come for the semester, I will definitely need to pack WARM clothes.